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Old 04-23-2013, 10:48 AM   #246 (permalink)
KamperBob
Recreation Engineer
 
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Somewhere USA
Posts: 525

Black Stallion - '02 Toyota Tundra 4WD xCab

Half Pint - '06 Yamaha XT225
Thanks: 333
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Quote:
Originally Posted by a8ksh4 View Post
Alright, 3rd pass on the interior is done. It took me about a gallon and a quarter of resin to do almost the whole of the interior and exterior. One of the things I've gatherd, working with this stuff, is that we don't only use less resin to make pars weight less (weight to strength), we do it to make them less brittle. Resin is really brittle, and if it cracks, it's going to crack the glass fibers with it. If it's thin, though, the part can flex without the resin cracking and the load is transferred to the fibers.



I ran out of fabric, for this corner, so there are a few smaller pieces stitched together to finish the job here. I love how this twill weave conforms around all kinds of crazy corners.


I'm using a fast curing resin, so it gets tacky pretty quickly in the heat we've been having here. It's been between 60 and 80f each afternoon for the last week (the lakes are getting warm...!). When I start, I paint resin across all of the foam I'll be working with, and then lay down the fabric, starting to wet it in as I go. By the time I work my across the part, the first resin I painted on is starting to tack up a little, so it'll grab the cloth. This make it easier to work some of the more complicated areas.

KamperBob, I've been enjoying following your blog. I had to do the same thing to my door handle that you did with the heater knob, a while back. I pressed a bit of wire/coat hanger where it broke and coated it with resin. Good as new.
Thanks. At some point I expect to switch from travel to project mode. I'm following your topper build very closely because foam-epoxy is exactly what I have in mind for designs currently stuck in my head until someday when I set up shop again somewhere. So keep all the nitty gritty details coming!
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